The Ultimate Life Form
by strouplionheart
Summary: Side-story to Sonic BN Brawl. Discover the truth of Shadow, Deity of the Underworld! The past of the strongest of all is finally revealed!
1. Project: Shadow

THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM CHAPTER 1 PROJECT: SHADOW

Bloop...Bloop...A liquid substance of unknown quantity glubbed periodically within a lit pod, small and large bubbles floating hesitantly to the lid. The occasional beeps and boops of machines echoed through the darkness of the room, a black shroud consuming all that was not the glowing peridot light emiting itself from the pod; the darkness seemed to retreat from such a blissful light. The steps of a boot chimed across the tiled floor, and they made a sudden halt upon approaching the pod.

"Finally...after so long, he's only moments away from total completion!"

A slight gleam shined upon the surface of an elderly man's jet-black glasses, and it glistened to the glass of the pod. A grin lit across the man's face as his eyes focused their gaze on the test subject sleeping silently inside.

"You are ultimate power. You are ultimate life. You surpass all hopes for this time. You are absolute perfection!"

His arms rose above his head, and he glanced higher to the ceiling.

"Soon, you will come to life...and you will show the world the true extent of our genius!"

Beep beep! Beep beep! The sound echoed from a nearby machine, and a voice was heard coming from a speaker beside it. "Professor Gerald, is everything ready?"

The man approached the machine and bent down to reply.

"Yes. I believe so. Have everyone come into the lab at once."

"Are you sure, Professor? It could still be disfunctional upon release-"

"Now, now. He is not an it. This is a living being. Not a machine."

"Ah, yes, of course. My apologies, Professor."

He laughed. "Not at all. Now, go get everyone. I'm about ready to release him."

"Sir, what about your granddaughter, Maria?"

"Bring her, too. I would like her to meet the newest addition to our family."

"Understood." The voice disappeared with the press of a button, and the professor turned back to face the pod. He lit with a smile.

"Yes...Our newest family member."

No more than five minutes later, every staff member at SciLab was in that one room. The light flickered on, illuminating the entirety of the large area. It was believed that most-if not all-of the "major" tests and experiments were to be conducted within this one single laboratory. Numerous men in freshly-cleaned black tuxedos were standing near the professor, and the rest were drenched in formal white labcoats. There was a girl-no more than 18-standing beside the professor, and he slowly yet surely escorted her closer to the pod. She expended the effort to raise her right hand, and it slowly placed itself upon the surface of the glass pod.

"This is..." Her eyes widened, the shade of sapphire gleaming in unison with the shimmer from within the pod.

The professor smiled warmly at her enthusiasm. "Yes. This is the newest member of our family here, at SciLab."

"He looks so...empty."

"Yes, well, he's yet to awaken, my dear! Once we release him, he will become one of us-a living, breathing human!"

She glanced over to the professor. "Grandfather, how can you be so sure of that?"

"Hmm? You doubt my scientific genius?"

"No, nothing like that. I just...I don't see how a project could become something so...well, sophisticated."

"Oh-ho? Dearest Maria, humans are not as sophisticated as you may have been lead to believe. True, we are very complex and sometimes confusing creatures, but this project will not only prove that our technology can create human life, but it will also prove that ultimate power-power that surpasses anything human life could ever comprehend-can also be created by the hands of man."

"Ultimate power...?" She glanced back at the project sealed within the pod. "This thing...possesses ultimate power? Isn't that something we need to restrain him for? I mean, you can't just allow that kind of destructive potential to roam freely around the world, Grandfather!"

"Yes, yes, I know. He will stay here with you and I, in SciLab, under constant surveilance."

"I...But still..."

"Are you scared of him, Maria?"

"To be honest...Yes. A little."

He laughed. "Maria, you needn't be so concerned! I guarantee your safety. If anything, Shadow will be here to protect you."

She nodded slowly. "I...If you say so, Grandfather."

"Now, be nice to him when he awakens! He may be a project-a creation-but he will also be able to think and feel on his own. The first thing SciLab has ever created that has that kind of capability."

"Y...Yes, sir."

"Gerald, if I may," spoke a tuxedo-drenched man from behind them. Gerald and Maria turned to face the voice.

"What is it?"

"This...thing you're making. You understand that it is only possible because of our funding, yes?"

"Yes. And I trust YOU understand that we have already given you your compensation for such efforts?"

"Yes, well...should anything go wrong with this 'project' of yours, I'm afraid we won't be able to supply you with any kind of funds for replacement or repair purposes."

"I'm not worried about my creation breaking down or being destroyed, or anything that could possibly happen to him. He is the ultimate life form, and as such, I have turned him into the perfect creature."

"If you say so, Gerald."

"Now, then." He turned to face the pod once again, placing his hand on a small lever on a machine near him. Pulling down on the lever, the water that filled the pod slowly started to drain itself, and the glass slowly separated to reveal a gap. Eventually, it was completely gone, and the creature within managed to step outside of it. He had the appearance of an 18 year-old man, his facial features being so young and creamy. His hair was a nightly shade of black, spiked in different directions with bright streaks of red at the tips. Upon his chest, there was a uniquely-crafted crest in the shape of some kind of symbol. Its meaning was a mystery, but it seemed to be embedded into his flesh. His body was covered with simple, shaggy clothes of a khaki tint, and they seemed far too large for him to fully slip into. He would have to grow about two sizes larger if it was going to fit him.

"Yes! He's finally alive!" exclaimed Gerald.

The experiment stepped slowly over to Maria and Gerald, his eyes still shut tight. Maria glanced at them, and within moments, they slowly crept open, showing her something that somewhat terrified her. His eyes were a beautiful hint of garnet, but they were completely barren of any type of emotion. It was as if she was staring into the eyes of an empty vessel, one that possesses colossal power and terrifying capabilities.

"Grandfather! This is..."

"Yes, Maria! He's finally awake! He's ready!"

Gerald walked slowly over to the experiment, and he gently placed his hands on its shoulders, smiling widely at it. It did not smile back, and it did not even hazard a guess as to lift its head up to acknowledge his creator. The professor turned swiftly to face those who were waiting for his big announcement.

"Everyone! This is the moment we have waited years for! The very first artifical life form, created by SciLab, with the power to think and act on its own accord. The future of our company, and the future of technology, all gathered into one!"

Diabolical thoughts circled through the heads of the corporate men-the men in the black tuxedos. Of course, it was obvious what they would have to do, in order for their own corporation to expand and flourish. They would need to gain complete custody of this experiment. One way, or the other.

"Everyone! I give you...Shadow! The ultimate life form!" 


	2. Emotions

THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM CHAPTER 2 EMOTIONS

The air became a thick, invisible cloud of tension, and everyone in the room could feel the suspense behind the words of Professor Gerald. After years of study, analysis, and experimentation, SciLab's greatest work had finally been complete. Even so, no one took the incentive to interact with the creature. Then, when no one else had the courage, Maria, of all people, rose to the occasion and approached Shadow.

"S-Shadow?" Her head was tilted downwards, so as to avoid eye contact. She did not wish to gaze once more into the emptiness of this android.

But it did not answer. In fact, it seemed unresponsive. She blinked at the reactionless creature, and she slowly walked herself closer to him. Still, nothing. Gerald lightly tugged on his shoulders.

"Come on, my boy. It's all right. You can talk to your friend, Maria."

"What?" She seemed somewhat offended by his comment. She did not feel a friendly attraction to this creature. Honestly, she did not intend to, either.

But suddenly, the android moved forward, walking slowly over to Maria. He did not blink, and he seemed to have a silent respiration cycle. It stopped moving when it reached about five feet away from Maria, which she thought was already too close to her.

"S...Shadow?"

All drew closer to see what would happen. Sure enough, it was proven that this creation was not lifeless, afer all.

"F...Friend," he stuttered. It was proof that he could communicate with others.

"Huzzah!" cried Gerald. "There it is! Scientific evolution!"

"Grandfather!" shouted Maria. "Please! Not so loud!"

Suddenly, Shadow started to turn to face Gerald, and he walked back over to him, glancing up at him. Gerald's face was consumed with a warm smile.

"Grand...father...not so loud," he echoed, hearing the words from Maria and repeating them.

The professor's heart leapt higher than the stars upon hearing him form a full sentence. "Stupendous! He's starting to process so much so quickly! This is turning out to be MORE than just a success!"

"Professor, do you think we should show him his home?"

"Why, that sounds like a wonderful idea! Shadow, how would you like a complete tour of SciLab?"

The android glanced back up at Gerald, attempting to open his mouth to speak.

"I would like that very much, Professor."

"Incredible! It seems that his installed vocabulary is starting to take effect, as well!"

"Installed vocabulary?" questioned Maria.

"Yes. You see, when in the production stage, I installed a number of things into Shadow, giving him easily accessed abilities and skills before he was even truly finished. The power of speech, pronunciation, and vocabulary are just a few of them. In other words, he was given a preset vocabulary before he was even born. He knows more words and languages than most of us do."

"I have to admit...that's incredible," said Maria, honestly baffled by her grandfather's creative genius.

"Maria, would you like to come along with the tour?"

"Huh? Oh...No, thanks. I'll just be up in my room." She ran quickly out of the room and to her quarters. But Gerald was a little too clever to let such an act slide past him.

It was painfully obvious to him that Maria did not want to be around Shadow.

Shadow's tour lasted for a little more than an hour, but only because during the tour, he would continuously ask questions about his current surroundings, whether it be the ridiculously sophisticated and complex machinery that was contained in numerous different facilities and laboratories, or even if it was just seeing a small, elegant flower sitting indifferently on the lush green grass, picking it up, and asking what it was and why it was there to begin with. Whatever the case, Shadow was truly learning everything he needed to learn, and he was doing so far more quickly than anyone-even Professor Gerald, himself-had widely anticipated. The tour had finally ended when Shadow and Gerald retreated alone to Maria's room. He knocked slightly on the door, watching as the young woman in question opened it.

"Grandfather? Shadow?"

"Shadow, this is Maria's room." He tapped him on the shoulder, and Shadow glanced at Gerald. "Now, I don't want you coming in here without Maria's permission. Understood?"

The android nodded his head. "Yes, Professor."

"Excellent! Now, Maria, would you mind if Shadow came in for a brief moment?"

"What? Yes! Yes, I would!"

"Hmm? Why is that?"

"Because I...I..."

She felt the sudden touch of an arm on her shoulder, and without a second thought, she glanced up, only to see the eyes of void red that were on Shadow's face. In a sudden impulsive manner, she quickly raised her right hand and violently slapped him across the face, causing him to plummet to the ground due to the shock. Her legs dashed her out of her room and swiftly down the stairs, descending them and eventually running outside. Gerald's heart sank slightly when she shouted the words that were really directed at his new creation:

"I don't want anything to do with him!"

Shadow slowly rose back to his feet, and he glanced over at Gerald.

"Professor, is she all right?"

He nodded slowly, sighing in disappointment. "Yes, my boy. Everything...will be all right."

"Will be, sir?"

"That's enough, Shadow. Come on. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, sir. My stomach exudes a rumbling noise. Is this hunger?"

He laughed hoarsely. "Yes, m'boy. That means you're hungry. Come on, then. Down to the cafeteria to get you something to eat."

Descending the stairs from Maria's room, Gerald and Shadow traveled to SciLab's cafeteria, which was its primary source of cullinary delights. Regardless of such a facility, there were plentiful amounts of vending machines and water fountains scattered across the entirety of SciLab, but when the buds of taste pegged the human senses once more, most would journey the distant walk to the cafeteria, located directly in the center of the gargantuan, colossal facility.

After a simple process, Shadow had learned how to order food from the cafeteria, should he ever be hungry when no one is around. The two sat independently from the small crowd of people who were already there, on a table in the right corner. Shadow glanced down at his food, which consisted of a cheeseburger and fries. The bun seemed slightly burnt, but surprisingly, it would add to the flavor of the premium beef used to make the burger. It was drenched in a small coat of ketchup, topped with a few onions and tomatoes, as well as a couple leaves of lettuce. As Shadow picked up the burger to eat it, he felt a sudden chill run down his back, paining his spinal cord.

Something was definitely amiss. Trouble, no doubt.

Without hesitation, Shadow followed his instincts out of the cafeteria, leaving Gerald baffled and confused. Even he could only guess as to where he was going and what he would be doing.

"Oh, well. Nature calls, I suppose."

His legs dashed him at blinding speeds down the halls of SciLab, rushing to the main entrance. As she went outside, he started to dash to the east, eventually running into a group of large, disgusting street thugs. They were laughing and grinning, and one of them had pinned Maria down, a right hand placed firmly over her mouth. The other two thugs had started to reach for her lower clothes, and they swiftly pulled them off, leaving Maria's lower body nearly completely revealed. All that she wore underneath was a thin pair of blue panties, and it was only seconds after her real clothes were removed that the thugs started to reach for them. Two of the thugs had already exposed themselves, getting ready to do their worst to her.

But before they got the chance, the thugs were suddenly swept off their feet, falling harshly on the concrete below them. As Maria rose up in the air, she felt someone grab her, embracing her in their arms. She took a moment to glance up at her savior, only to see that it was, indeed, Shadow.

"Shadow...?"

He released Maria and readied himself for the thugs, for they had already rose back to their feet and pulled out numerous types of dangerous, sharp weapons. Knives, iron poles, baseball bats-anything imaginable for a street rat. They all charged at Shadow without an intellectual thought, and that, truly, was their worst mistake. Within the span of five seconds, Shadow had dashed at lightning speed towards his enemies, knocking them in their pressure points and vital spots, rendering them all unconscious and motionless. Even more outstanding, he managed to do so without even touching the ground again.

When he finally planted his feet to the ground, Shadow reached over for the clothes Maria was stripped of. He closed his eyes and stood back up on his feet, turning to her and blindly giving her the clothes. She took them slowly, and she even found herself giving him a smile.

"Thank you, Shadow."

He opened his eyes to see her safe and sound, but it was also this act that caused him to suddenly enter a sort of spasm. His body was shaking and trembling, and a few electronic short circuits exited his brain. Small bolts of electricity spat out from him. It appeared that he was malfunctioning.

"Shadow? Shadow! Are you all right?"

Eventually, after a few moments, he fell to the ground, unconscious and unresponsive. Maria kneeled down to the ground and attempted to wake him. She tugged on him lightly, then became more aggressive after a few times. Still, she was unsuccessful in bringing him back to life. She reached into the pocket of her blouse and pulled out a small, sky-blue cell phone, dialing the number to contact Gerald.

"Grandfather! Are you there?"

"Maria? What is it?"

"I can't explain! Come quick! Shadow's collapsed!"

"What? Where are you?"

"About ten blocks east of SciLab! Hurry! Please!"

"I'm sending a team immediately! Stay where you are!"

"Okay!"

About thirty minutes passed since the events that took place. Maria and Gerald were standing impatiently outside of the infirmary door, waiting for some kind of news pertaining to Shadow. Shortly afterwards, a nurse-who looked no more than 20-came through the automatic door. They approached her impulsively.

"Is Shadow all right?" asked a concerned Maria. "What's wrong with him?"

The nurse shook her head. "I...I couldn't tell you. I have no idea what's wrong with him."

"No..."

"Now, now, calm down. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

"Well..." she exhaled heavily. "I stormed out of SciLab when Shadow and Grandfather came to my room and asked me to let Shadow in my room to look around. It was part of the tour he went on. When I did, I bumped into a group of gangsters about ten blocks away from SciLab. They started messing with me, and...they..."

"They what?" asked Gerald, concerned.

"They...tried to rape me."

"Those bastards!" scouled Gerald. "Did they...?"

"N-No, they didn't get the chance to. That's when...Shadow came and helped me."

"Ahh! So, that's where he went..."

"Then, he handed me my clothes and looked at me...and that's when this happened."

"He...looked at you? That's all? You didn't do anything to him?"

"Well...I smiled at him, since he probably saved my life."

His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped slightly. "That's it..."

"What is, Grandfather?"

"One of the other things I installed into Shadow was a program that would give him the human senses, but not only that, it would give him many other senses that we, as humans, find hard to feel. For example, a literal sense of danger."

"Oh...Is that how Shadow knew I was in trouble?"

"Yes, no doubt about it. But, not only did the program give him all of these senses, it also multiplied them by about twenty times higher than that of an average human. Effectively, Shadow could sense danger from miles and miles away, should he choose to."

"That's incredible, Professor!" exclaimed the nurse.

"But Grandfather, that still doesn't explain why Shadow is sick!"

"He's not 'sick,' per se. He's just...sleeping."

"Well, yes, I can see that, Grandfather, but-"

"No, no, it's a term I use. It means he's rewriting himself."

"What...does that mean?"

"When you smiled at Shadow, and he saw it, a trigger in his internal memory switched on. See, I gave him a photographic memory of you in case you would ever be in trouble. That way, he would always know when you needed something."

"Well, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Your smile must have been different than what he was accustomed to seeing. Yes, in all of your photographs, you're smiling. But not the way you did to him."

"So, wait...my smile made Shadow like this?"

"The emotions behind your smile did this to him."

"E...Emotions?"

"Yes. Photographs may be forever, but they lose emotion or feeling when they become as such. He was unable to process the emotion of your smile, even though it's installed in his memory."

"The emotions...of my smile?"

"Yes."

"So, the only reason Shadow acts like an android..."

"Is because I failed to install a sense of emotion in him. Yes."

"My god...I had no idea..."

"Maria?"

"All this time...I thought Shadow was just a lifeless android you all created to be the perfect machine for war and destruction. But now...I think I understand him a little better."

"Maria..."

"It's not his fault he's like this...It's ours. Isn't it?"

"No, dear. It's mine. I was unable to find a way to give him a sense of emotion. Now..."

"Kathy! Come quick!"

The nurse turned swiftly to face the door, and she gestured for Gerald and Maria to follow her. "What's going on?"

"The one in this bed-Shadow-woke up, and he's over there on the balcony!" The voice was that of a young woman, who was an assistant to the main nurse for the infirmary. Her hair was a short-cut style, tinted with a shining, radiant brown. Her eyes were of a mahogany color, and the gleam in them seemed to dance when staring at her from a certain distance and position.

"The balcony? Thank you, Sarah."

"Yes, ma'am!" She returned to the back room to continue her clinical duties.

"Shadow's awake, now?" asked Maria.

"Yes, dear, it would seem so," said Kathy, turning to face her.

"Do you mind...if I talk to him?"

"I certainly don't mind. Just be careful, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am. I will." She ran out to the balcony to find Shadow, leaving Gerald and Kathy to watch her leave.

The balcony was almost the perfect spot to go with the infirmary; normally, however, it was only used for nurses and assistants who were pressured with the influence of smoking and dipping, and as such, numerous ash trays were scattered across the garden, placed conveniently next to chairs and wooden benches that granted a nice spot to sit and enjoy the day. It was a perfect view of the city upon the horizon, as well, and the wind would always blow through this place, regardless of the weather. Maria's search lead her to the end of the balcony, in a circular garden where a grand statue of one of the establisher's of SciLab was crafted. Shadow, the one she searched for, was standing alone near the edge of the balcony. She approached him slowly, hoping they could learn to start anew.

"Shadow?" She slowly walked forward a little more, trying her best not to startle him.

He turned to face her, his physical attributes showing no change whatsoever. "Hello..." he said, a dull and lifeless tone in his voice.

"How are you feeling?" It seemed she was losing the fear she once had of looking into his eyes. Now that she understood why they were empty, she did not find it appropriate to think of him as nothing more than a lifeless android.

"I'm...fine..." he said, his thoughts seeming to trail him off somewhere else.

"You sure? You sound a little...troubled."

"I...No...I am fine...You don't need to concern yourself...with my problems..."

"What? Of course I do!"

"Why...?"

Slowly but surely, she started to walk closer to him, and she looked right into his eyes. Her face lit with a warm smile. "Because...you're my friend."

"Friend..."

"Yeah. I'm really sorry about before. I didn't know about all of this...I'm really sorry, Shadow."

"Sorry..."

"Yeah...Can you forgive me, Shadow?"

"Yes..."

"Really?"

"Yes..."

"Thank you!" She giggled, and her smile grew bigger.

He stared at her smile, enticed in a cycle of thoughts.

"S...Shadow?" She glanced at him, and she gasped slightly when she saw what was happening. She watched, her heart pounding and beating as swift as a mouse, as Shadow's facial expression slowly yet surely started to change. She glanced up at his eyes, and her mouth hung open, a smile still on her face. An iris and eye ball started to form in his eyes, and they gained a brilliant shine that resembled that of any other living being. What's more, his mouth had finally stopped trembling, and it turned into a gentle smile. His eyebrows rose to show an expression of happiness. Something had happened that not even her own Grandfather, and his own creator, could ever expect, something that he was not necessarily created to have.

Shadow could feel. He could smile. He could show emotion. 


	3. To Be Human

THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM CHAPTER 3 TO BE HUMAN

Shadow, the ultimate life form born from artifical creation, was grasping an ability he had never even been made with: the power to feel emotion. His smile remained unwavering on his face, and his eyes, for the first time ever, had been given a sense of life.

"Shadow...! What happened?" panicked Maria. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I...I believe so," replied Shadow. "But...there's this...warmth inside of my chest. It's comforting."

"Warmth? Comforting? Shadow, what happened to you just now?"

"I...I don't know. What is this on my face? I feel like there's something pulling my muscles."

She giggled. "That's a smile, silly. You smile when you're happy."

"Happy...? But...I don't know how to be happy."

"Well, how about we talk to Grandfather? I think you're feeling better, now. Right?"

"Y...Yes. I'm fine, now."

"Okay! Let's go back."

The two new friends returned to the infirmary, where they once again greeted Professor Gerald. The professor ran over to Shadow hastefully, hugging him tightly and squeezing him in his grasp. Maria couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, Shadow, my boy! I'm so relieved to see you're all right!"

"Yes, Professor," said Shadow, gasping free of the crushing hug. "I am...all right."

"Ahh! Of course you are! You're my greatest project, after all. You won't go down without a fight!"

"Yes, Professor."

"Grandfather," said Maria, "Would you mind if I took Shadow to the park?"

"Hmm? The park?" He cleaned his glasses. "Well, I certainly don't mind. But may I ask why?"

"I...I wanna help Shadow understand emotions. If he can't understand them, they're only going to make him feel worse and worse, until he finally goes out of control."

"What? Shadow can feel emotions, now? Incredible! That's something I never managed to program into him!"

"Grandfather...I think this is our chance. Our one chance to help him become a real person, and not just some project. What do you say?"

He looked towards Shadow and smiled, then looked back at his granddaughter. "I think...that sounds wonderful. You two go off and have fun. Just make sure to come back before too late."

"Okay! Shadow, will you come with me?"

"Yes..."

She took Shadow by the hand and started for the exit to SciLab. Gerald watched the two with a reassured smile.

"To think...Shortly before all this happened, she didn't want anything to do with Shadow. Now, they're becoming friends."

Station Square park was a small little hamlet of nature, topped off with a steady number of benches and chairs to sit in and relax, as well as a little patio area with an overhead roof and a few tables underneath it. The sun shined through a small gathering of trees that overlooked a swing set at the end of the fences surrounding the park. The two had decided to sit in the grass near the swings, Maria waiting for the moment she could ignite some kind of emotion in Shadow.

"So," started Maria, "This is Station Square Park. Do you like it?"

He nodded. "Yes. It is a very nice place. Very..."

"Very...?"

"I...I don't know the word. It fills me with a peaceful calm, and it seems to wash over my entire body."

She giggled. "That means you're relaxed. It's a start!"

"A start? What do you mean?"

"Shadow...I wanna help you learn how to express what you feel."

"What I feel?"

"Yes."

"What DO I feel?"

"I don't know the answer to that question. Only YOU do. YOU are the only person who can tell anyone how you feel."

"How I feel...What does it mean to...feel?"

"It means your emotions help you to understand something. They help you understand happiness, sadness, anger, and any other kind of feeling. That's what it means to feel."

"Feelings...Emotions..."

She rose slowly from her seat, and she walked behind Shadow. Before he could process what was happening, he felt the sudden embrace of his friend. Her arms were wrapped around his torso, and her face lit with a smile the entire time she held him.

"There. How does that make you feel?"

It took Shadow a few moments before he could even process this moment. He didn't know what it meant to feel, but he knew he was feeling something. He would always call them "sensations" or "a calm that washes over his entire body." There was no telling what was going on inside of him. Even he had trouble expressing it.

"I...I don't know what this means..."

"What?"

"Warm...I...'feel'...warm."

"Warm?"

"Yes...My body is warm. And...I am relaxed. When I am in your arms, I...'feel' this way. Your embrace is...very...comforting."

She felt her cheeks blush a light pink color. She had never been told something so sweet, even from her own family. Even though she knew that Shadow did not quite understand what it meant to feel something, she knew he was trying. To her, that was all that mattered.

"Shadow, would you like to take a picture?"

"Picture? Oh, you mean a photograph."

"Sure. Here, I'll take one on my phone!"

She reached into her pocket by releasing Shadow briefly, and when she found her phone, she wrapped her arms around him once more and angled the phone's built-in camera to show them both in the picture.

"Smile!"

"Smile..."

As she pressed the button on her phone to snap a photo, she could have sworn that Shadow had smiled at the camera. And he did. It was a rather sheepish smile, but it was a good start nonetheless. She took the phone and placed it back in her pocket, releasing Shadow and sitting back up. She walked back next to Shadow and sat down next to him.

"So? Did you like the picture?"

He nodded slowly while looking at her. "Yes...I did."

"So, you know what it means to enjoy something! It means you like it!"

"Yes...To enjoy something..."

"It's another emotion you need to learn. Now...lemme think of something else..."

It was only a moment afterwards that Maria's phone started to ring. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone, flipping it open.

"Hello?"

"Maria! It's your Grandfather. Please bring Shadow here back to the lab."

"Umm, sure, Grandfather. We're on our way."

"Was that the Professor?" asked Shadow.

"Yeah. He wants us back at SciLab. Let's get going."

"Yes."

Back at SciLab, Gerald awaited the two in the experimentation laboratory on the second floor.

"Maria, Shadow, thank you both for coming."

"Yes, Grandfather? You needed to see us?"

"I want to put Shadow back in the lab for a short while."

"What? Why?"

"I'm going to program emotions into him. So he can feel and act on those feelings."

"Wait...you could have just programmed them into him from the start? Why didn't you do that, Grandfather?"

"Those GUN fools who were funding the project forbade me to give them to him. They figured that if he possessed emotions, Shadow would soon grow far too unstable and eventually go on an uncontrollable rampage."

"That wouldn't be good at all..."

"But now, I believe Shadow deserves to have his own emotions. With the technology we have here at SciLab, I can make it so that he's a real person. He'll be just like the rest of us."

"That's terrific! But Grandfather, won't that jeopardize your career?"

"Shadow IS my career. Without this boy, I...I would just be a lowly scientist whose opinion had no impact on anything. But when I decided to create Shadow, I decided to do it for the sake of mankind. I wanted the world to know that there would always be someone here, whether it be artificial or a real person, that will protect the people. Someone to give them the chance to be happy."

"Grandfather..."

He turned his head to look at his creation. "Shadow...you are more than just an artificial life form. You are the physcial manifestation of my hopes and dreams."

"Professor..."

"If you want feelings...if you want emotions, then who am I to strip you of them? You deserve to be just like the rest of us, feelings and all."

Maria turned to face Shadow. "Shadow, I...I think you should do this."

"Maria..."

"Not just because I want you to, or because Grandfather wants you to. I want you to experience life through the eyes of a real human, and that means you need to have the power to feel emotions and act according to them. I want you to have a happy, fulfilling life. Just like all of us."

"Yes..." He took Maria's hands slowly, which caused her to blush. She gazed into his garnet eyes, which seemed to shine brilliantly into her soul. It was odd; she had never noticed such an enticing gaze before. Not on Shadow. It was almost as if though she was locked onto his eyes; she couldn't look away from them. They were so...mezmerizing.

"I'll do it. For both of you, as well."

"A...All right."

"Now," started Gerald, "It will take you a while to adjust to the changes, so even if you go through with this, you won't be able to understand emotions for a short period of time."

He turned to face his creator. "Everything comes at a price. This one is worth paying for."

Maria had felt a sudden wave of surprise. Those words, so courageous and brave. If there was one thing about Shadow that stood out amongst every other quality he could possibly have, it was his maturity, able to make tough decisions with not an ounce of doubt or fear. He was the mighty knight with the shining armor of gold that embarked on a quest to slay the evil dragon of his only weakness: the power to understand what it means to feel, and to act upon those feelings.

"I'm ready, Professor."

"All right. Step into the pod."

"Yes." His feet paced him slowly towards the glistening pod, and as soon as he entered, the glass door gracefully shut itself tightly behind him. He turned to face Gerald while still inside, who was doing his best to hide his uncertainty with a smile. Sadly, it was too strong even for him to mask.

With the push of a button, Shadow's consciousness slowly drifted away, leaving him within a pod of a green liquid that slowly filled all the way to the top of the pod. Numerous light beeps exhaled from the machine that operated the chamber, and Gerald couldn't help but stare into it with a look of distress.

"I'm just not sure of this..." he mustered.

"What is it, Grandfather?" asked a concerned Maria.

"This will completely rewrite Shadow's very existence. At first, a machine. Now, a human? It will be the biggest change of his life. Once this is done, I...I won't be able to reverse it, should things take a turn for the worst."

"So no matter what, Shadow will be stuck as a human?"

"Yes..."

The circulating air through the room constricted, and it echoed a cruel chill down the spines of the two siblings. Neither one of them wanted to cause any kind of permanent damage to Shadow. Yet, in the end, going through with this project could very possibly do just that.

"If Shadow can't go back to the way he was," continued Gerald, "Then there's no way he can regain his strength and capabilities as my creation."

"He's going to lose his power? But wouldn't that defeat the entire purpose of the Ultimate Life Form?"

He sighed heavily. "Precisely."

"So, that means..."

"GUN will more than likely step in, and when they do, they'll take Shadow and forcefully revert the process, turning him into a life-threatening tool for war."

"No...!"

He turned around to see his precious creation. "I just hope he makes it out of this...with little to no repurcussions."

"Yes...I do, too."

It was difficult to witness such a process take place, for the both of them. Gerald was immediately fond of Shadow, since he was the greatest creation known to man that he, himself, had planned and developed. Rather, he was the one who actually received authorization for the project. Maria knew that Shadow was a machine-a tool to be used-that was authorized by the higher-ups of GUN and SciLab, but in just a short amount of time, she had been scared out of her wits, insulted, attacked, and almost forced to have sex with a group of disgusting gangsters during the time Shadow had been created...and even after all of that, the two of them still managed to find reasons to be friends.

Or, heaven forbid, anything more than that.

But honestly, she wasn't positive about what to think of Shadow. Although, yes, he was still technically a machine, and he was essentially created to be her loyal bodyguard, she couldn't help but sense a sort of odd attraction to him. Sure, he was still a product, but even so, she had managed to see past such ridiculous details, and she even attempted to see into Shadow a way no one else could; she wanted to find the heart he never truly had. That's why she felt a senseless guilt in all of this.

Perhaps she had found it.

She could have possibly stumbled into the brick wall, which had served as a blockade from his heart. Maybe she had crashed into the gate of stone and rocks, and upon doing so, she had left a dent in its heavy sheet of armor. And maybe, just maybe, when Shadow came out of that pod-IF Shadow came out of that pod...

The barricade would be no more.

The passing six hours had seemed like an eternity of solitude, wishing for someone to break the cursing silence and embrace the possibilities of success for the black-haired android. Yet, nothing remained to be said until he had found a way to exit that pod. In all honestly, it was the only thing both Maria and Gerald requested, at least at this point. His eyes had been shut for six agonizing hours, a peaceful, careless expression across his face. Gerald had fallen into a state of slumber merely four hours into the operation, while Maria could not stand to simply drift off to sleep as her first true friend remained in a state of purgatory. Her legs moved her, almost on impulse, to the outside of the pod, and her right hand had placed itself gently upon the glass. Her cerulean eyes had hooked themselves onto the qualm-free look on Shadow's face, where not even the eyes of crimson she had all but memorized stared back at her.

"It's odd. You look happy, Shadow. Like you're in a wonderful dream."

She wouldn't dare consider the thought that his dreams would last throughout eternity. She refused to think that he would remain in there, lifeless and empty, forever. Finally, at long last, her doubts slipped away as her ears shuffled with the muffling sound of draining liquid. She glanced downwards to see the green fluid draining completely, and within a matter of seconds, it was gone. She sprinted over to Gerald and shook him roughly.

"Grandfather! Wake up! It's Shadow! He's waking up!"

Gerald had immediately reached for his glasses and did his absolute best to stand up straight, though he was obviously still half-asleep. His eyes sprung open as he witnessed the pod opening. Maria's had done the same. Merely seconds later, Shadow's eyes had shifted awake, and the life within them did not seem to dissipate. The sound of his steps echoed through the silence of the room, almost as if they were the shallow beatings of a child's heart.

"Shadow...?" Gerald had incentively tried to get closer, and as he did, he placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Shadow! Can you hear me?" He stared into his eyes to see any sign of response. To his surprise, Shadow had executed a large smile at his creator, spreading forth an open smile from both Maria and Gerald, with the scientist's face glistening with tears of joy as he heard the first words Shadow spoke after the test was complete.

"So this is what it's like to be human." 


End file.
